My wife and I read with amusement the "Get on yer bikes" letter from Matthew Marks in the Mitcham and Morden Guardian last week.

As, probably, the largest councillor in Merton I know I drastically need to lose weight and had planned on using a bike to travel to the council offices and visit our residents in Dundonald ward over the next four year period.

Alas, my new bike was stolen on election day and another on June 22 whilst I was holding a meeting in the garden.

The first was my own stupidity having left it unlocked outside the house for 10 minutes, but the second was chained to the front of our house. As the first bike was stolen on election day I did wonder if it was politically motivated - well, not really but it sounds good. When the second theft occurred I realised it was probably some helpful person who felt that, for safety reasons, a councillor weighing 21-plus stone and 6ft 3in tall was just too likely to cause damage to a car so I had to be stopped.

Seriously though, if Matthew, or anyone else for that matter, can help locate either one of my bikes I would certainly be willing to give it another try. As it is though, I am sure all your readers can understand my reluctance to commit yet another £300 for the benefit of someone else.

If nothing else, these events have made me realise how helpful and considerate the police can be, but how difficult their job is catching criminals. I hope whoever stole my bikes get lots of flat tyres and hopefully rupture themselves when it happens.

I applaud Coun Gilly Lewis-Lavender's initiative to encourage her fellow councillors to lose weight; I know I will find it hard eating fruit rather than the sandwiches at council meetings, but I hope my colleagues will encourage me to do so.

Chris Edge
Dundonald ward councillor